A Ha! Christmas: An Exhibition of Jock Elliott’s Christmas Books

Jock Elliot began collecting books after he returned home from World War II. His deep love for Christmas encouraged him to collect books about Christmas in England and America. When he began collecting, he was purchasing one book a month, sometimes even buying new books daily. Now, even as has become more selective in his purchases, he has acquired a collection of more than 3,000 books related to Christmas. Most of his books are first or only editions, and he has purchased other "firsts," including the first illustration of a Christmas tree and the first illustration of St. Nick by Thomas Nast. This book was created to accompany the exhibition held from December 6, 1999 to January 29, 2000. It traces the historical development of Christmas through 600 years of Christmas books, from a fifteenth-century illuminated miniature of the Nativity to How the Grinch Stole Christmas. All books are from the collection of Jock Elliot. It includes numerous illustrations including book covers and fam